The celebrated actor from countless Disney films<\/strong><\/a> in the \u201960s died today at age 84, from Parkinson\u2019s. You may know him best from this:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=a6S1EvWcub4<\/a><\/p>\n But his life was far more interesting and complicated, according to Christianity Today:<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n For years he had deceived himself into believing that the Hollywood lifestyle would satisfy him, but it had only left him depressed and suicidal. He addictively sought the comforting roar of audience approval, but such pursuits had only shattered his first marriage (which ended in divorce) and alienated him from his children. He began to see life as a pointless exercise in futility, to be managed by copious amounts of alcohol and a parade of affairs.<\/p>\n According to his autobiography,\u00a0Under Running Laughter<\/span>, Jones heard a voice in his spirit one evening, saying his lifestyle \u201cwill never satisfy you.\u201d He started thinking:\u00a0Could I continue to deceive myself into believing that whatever vacuum existed within me would be filled in the future by more and bigger portions of that I\u2019d consumed in the past?<\/span><\/p>\n Later, after a drunk-driving accident almost claimed his life, Jones reached his breaking point. Though he\u2019d grown up in a religious home and even briefly attended Asbury, a Christian college in Kentucky, Jones had rejected the faith of his family. After his near-death accident, he was ready to stop running from God, crying out, \u201cI\u2019ve done everything in this world I thought would make me happy and it doesn\u2019t work. I have everything and I have nothing. I have no choice but to believe. If you don\u2019t exist, then I\u2019m a dead man.\u201d<\/p>\n After his conversion, Jones felt a peace he\u2019d never known before, and he felt whole for the first time. He righted his blighted relationships, remarried (he and Lory have been together 36 years), and began seeking out projects on and off screen that he could do for the glory of God.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Late\u00a0in his career, he took on stage roles with a religious bent:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n In 1986, Jones\u2026starred in\u00a0Into the Light<\/i>, a musical about scientists and the\u00a0Shroud of Turin<\/a>, which closed four days after it opened. He had far more success touring in the one-man show\u00a0St. John in Exile<\/i>\u00a0as the last surviving Apostle of\u00a0Jesus Christ<\/a>, reminiscing about his life while imprisoned on the Greek island of\u00a0Patmos<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n But one of his most famous roles\u2014and something of a legend in theater circles\u2014was the character of Bobby in the Stephen Sondheim musical \u201cCompany\u201d<\/a><\/strong> in 1970. \u201cCompany\u201d is\u00a0a cynical\u00a0musical comedy about the challenges and pitfalls of modern day marriage in New York City. Jones played the musical\u2019s centerpiece, the story\u2019s sole bachelor, dealing with his married friends and neighbors. He created the role at a time he was undergoing a painful divorce; shortly after its first performance, he asked that he be let out of his contract. The producer and director, Harold Prince, agreed, on one condition: Jones would have to record the cast album.<\/p>\n He did, and the arduous process was captured by acclaimed documentary filmmakerD.J. Pennebaker<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Here is Dean Jones recording the definitive rendition of\u00a0\u201cBeing Alive\u201d 45 years ago, in what some would argue was the performance of his life. I wouldn\u2019t disagree.<\/p>\n Eternal rest, Mr. Jones.<\/p>\n\n